Semiconductor devices can be subjected to various effects, which may cause damage to the semiconductor devices or even destroy them. For example, semiconductor devices may be subjected to electrostatic discharge or to locally too high current densities, especially during switching or transient events. However, protection methods for semiconductor devices often lead to other drawbacks such as longer switching times of a semiconductor device, more process steps during production of the semiconductor device, and/or an increased power consumption of the semiconductor device. It is desired to protect semiconductor devices from such harmful effects without worsening other performance factors of the semiconductor devices.